A Republican state lawmaker filed legislation to outlaw traffic enforcement cameras statewide in the wake of a Tribune investigation into Chicago's controversial red light program, but it faces an uncertain future in a legislature controlled by Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Democratic allies.

"It's very clear that these cameras are a way for local governments to raise money," said McSweeney, who filed the bill last week. "And obviously Rahm Emanuel has taken it to its extreme."

The Emanuel administration, while acknowledging oversight failures, has defended the red light camera program as an effective deterrent to bad drivers and dangerous accidents.

The bill would repeal state law that allowed Chicago to grow its red light program into the largest in the nation and also targets the mayor's new speed camera program that began rolling out last year.

Any decision on whether the proposed ban gets a hearing in Springfield is firmly in the control of the Democrat majority and longtime House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago, who has long supported automated camera enforcement.

The proposed legislation follows a series of Tribune reports that questioned City Hall's safety claims, illustrated how failed oversight led to the unfair ticketing of tens of thousands of motorists, and exposed an alleged bribery scheme involving a Madigan patronage worker and precinct captain who long oversaw the Chicago red light camera program.

McSweeney said he had not yet discussed the proposed legislation with Madigan or the Democratic leadership in the House.

"At the end of the day, it's important that we have debate on this issue, that we get a vote on the floor and hopefully ban these cameras," said McSweeney, who added that Sen. Dan Duffy, R-Lake Barrington, is ready to sponsor the legislation in the Senate. "I am sure I will have a discussion with Speaker Madigan about it very soon."

Since its inception in 2002, Chicago's red light camera program has grown to more than 350 cameras that have generated more than $500 million in revenue for the cash-starved city.

Last year, a federal grand jury indicted the former CEO of the city's longtime vendor Redflex Traffic Systems, the longtime city manager who oversaw the program, John Bills, and a longtime Bills friend who has pleaded guilty to charges he acted as the bagman for up to $2 million in bribes.

In December, the Tribune published the results of a scientific study of the safety effects of the camera system. The study, the first of its kind ever done on Chicago's program, debunked Emanuel's claims of a 47 percent drop in dangerous T-bone crashes at red light cameras. It found a 15 percent reduction in such crashes but revealed that the cameras likely caused more injury crashes overall than they prevented.

Two key City Council members on Wednesday filed a proposed ordinance to curtail the use of red light cameras. It would require safety studies at each new intersection and longer yellow light times throughout the city. The Tribune reported last month that Chicago's yellow light intervals are dangerously short and out of step with national standards.